[javagram]

NYT is the premier digital news outlet. Why should a principal SWE there get paid less than a senior SWE working on Google News, for instance?

If NYT has the money it makes sense to me for the employees to ask for higher pay. What else is the original purpose of unions than to give workers power to bargain with the company?

[shagie]

> Why should a principal SWE there get paid less than a senior SWE working on Google News, for instance?

https://www.wolframalpha.com/input?i=%28GOOGL%2C+NYT%29+reve...

    (GOOGL, NYT) revenue per employee

    Alphabet Class A Shares | $1.815 million (US dollars)
    New York Times Company  | $422656.27 (US dollars)

[hyperpape]

> Why should a principal SWE there get paid less than a senior SWE working on Google News, for instance?

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=google+ma...

[paulcole]

> NYT is the premier digital news outlet. Why should a principal SWE there get paid less than a senior SWE working on Google News, for instance?

Because it’s a different job at a different company?

I get that if you have leverage you may want to exert it (either individually or through a union) to get higher pay, but the argument that 2 different companies should pay the same amount seems ridiculous. Go get the job at the higher paying company if that’s what you want.

[cvwright]

I think the uncomfortable question for many here is, why should the SWE at Google get paid any more than the SWE at the NY Times?

[ynx]

That's not an uncomfortable question at all. SWE (and all employees) should be paid to the point that the owners of their company, while well-rewarded, are not sucking up a large percentage of global wealth personally...and that's the less adventurous answer.

[ExoticPearTree]

... right, because people start companies out of their philanthropic desires.

It is funny here how all the people are pro-union don't start their own companies to compete with the ones that exploit people and offer employees all the perks they ever dreamed of.

[Workaccount2]

It's even funnier when they do start their own company and immediately crank up the back-pedaling.

[paulcole]

Why is that an uncomfortable question?

Companies choose what they pay their employees (within the bounds of the law) and that might be influenced by what another company pays similar employees.

Imagine somebody at Google saying, “Sorry we won’t pay you more — just found out they pay less at the NYT.”

[ExoticPearTree]

> If NYT has the money it makes sense to me for the employees to ask for higher pay.

Nothing is stopping an employee from asking. Can they get more money? It depends on NYT if they want to pay more or find another employee who settles for less and fires the demanding employee. Win/Win for the company. Greed is good if it is within bounds.